Next year’s RSA Conference in the United States will allow three security start-ups to pitch their company to three “high-profile venture capitalists in a Dragon’s Den style format.

If the VC’s like the 10-minute pitch, the participants could land actual funding and support to assist in the growth of their firms.

The RSA Conference 2019 is scheduled to take place in San Francisco from 4 to 8 March next year. It is also now accepting nominations to name the most innovative security startup in 2019.

RSA Conference

The chance for security startups to pitch their company to VCs in a Dragon’s Den (or Shark Tank for US readers) style format, is called the “RSAC Launch Pad.”

Interested parties can apply here, and can see if their businesses meet the qualifying terms and conditions.

The three selected firms essentially will have ten minutes to impress the venture capitalists, for the chance to win funding for their businesses.

Firms have to have been incorporated for two years or less, be privately held (with no revenue) and to have had no more than a first round of funding.

But that is not the only chance for security startups to impress.

Innovative security startups can also be nominated for the RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest, which is now in its 14th year. Previous winners include the likes of Phantom, Invincea, UnifyID and BigID, to name but a few.

Qualifying companies can apply online here for a chance at competing in RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest. They have until 4 December 2018 to file their submissions, and the top ten finalists will be announced at the end of January 2019.

Unlike the RSAC Launch Pad, which is geared toward earlier-stage companies with no revenue, the RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest is basically tailored to start-ups under five years of age with less than $5 million in annual revenue.

“Over the past few years, RSAC’s innovation programming has experienced a growing interest outside of Silicon Valley, with entrepreneurs from Belgium, Australia, France and Israel submitting to and taking part in RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest,” said Dr. Hugh Thompson, RSA Conference Program Chair.

“Our goal is to expand opportunities even further, for innovators at all points in their career and from all corners of the globe, to bring their ideas to fruition,” said Dr Thompson. “I think we’re going to see a lot of unique and creative approaches to today’s biggest cybersecurity challenges presented in March, and I can’t wait to see the collective brainpower behind these ideas.”

The RSA Conference in San Francisco will also host an expanded ‘RSAC Early Stage Expo’ to include 50 of the industry’s most promising newcomers.

These firms will have the chance to offer short demos of their products to attendees, as well as give talks in the Early Stage Expo Briefing Center.